How the Texas floods highlight a new role for higher education

In July 2025, flash floods devastated Central Texas, claiming at least 129 lives and leaving more than 160 people missing. Among the victims were 27 children staying at Camp Mystic, a site without sirens or alerts, leaving them with no time to escape. In nearby Comfort, Texas, a functioning warning system likely saved lives. The contrast was tragic and telling.

This disaster revealed more than a breakdown in emergency systems. It pointed to a broader issue, how higher education prepares (or fails to prepare) the professionals who will design, plan, and protect communities in a world shaped by climate extremes. Universities have a responsibility to help students understand, anticipate, and respond to real-world challenges like this one.

What happened in Central Texas

On the night of July 3, a slow-moving storm dumped over 6.5 inches of rain in some areas within just a few hours. But that was only part of the story. According to the NCEI, parts of the Hill Country saw more than 20 inches of rainfall, overwhelming rivers and low-lying regions. The Guadalupe River overflowed rapidly, destroying roads, campsites, and homes.

Kerr County had no operational flood sirens. Nearby Comfort did, and was able to activate them in time to minimize casualties. This was not just a weather event. It was a failure of planning, infrastructure, and awareness. NOAA officials confirmed the scale of the flooding surpassed what would historically be considered a 500-year flood. That kind of event, once rare, is now increasingly common in our warming climate.

The blind spot in higher education

Despite rising climate risks, most colleges still treat environmental disaster readiness as a niche topic. Civil engineering students may learn structural theory but rarely practice real-time modeling with GIS tools. Policy students might discuss FEMA response frameworks but don’t often draft disaster response plans grounded in local data.

Graduates from environmental science or data analytics programs may never examine rainfall modeling or floodplain vulnerability firsthand. The result is a workforce that understands the science of climate change but not how to design around it. We are preparing students to study the climate crisis, but not to work in it.

Some universities are moving in the right direction

Not all institutions are behind the curve. A few are beginning to update their curriculum and partnerships:

• Planet Texas 2050 at UT Austin brings together students from engineering, policy, and science to work on real-world disaster resilience.
  
• Arizona State University partners with local cities to let students use real-time flood and heat risk data for planning.
  
• Columbia University’s Climate School runs simulations to teach students how to respond to infrastructure failures.
  
• Meanwhile, federal support from the NSF and NOAA is helping launch new interdisciplinary climate programs.
  

But these efforts are still scattered and often optional, when they should be foundational.

What universities can do right now

If higher education wants to stay relevant, it must prepare students to lead in a future filled with uncertainty. Climate events like floods, wildfires, and heatwaves will affect every field, from architecture and journalism to healthcare and finance.

Here are a few practical changes colleges can implement:

• Include flood modeling and disaster response planning in core engineering and policy courses
  
• Create partnerships with local governments so students can support real community resilience projects
  
• Develop interdisciplinary courses that bridge environmental data science, communication, and civic planning
  
• Encourage final-year capstone projects focused on disaster preparedness, risk analysis, and infrastructure gaps in under-resourced communities
  

This isn’t about turning every student into a climate expert. It’s about giving them the tools to make informed, systems-level decisions in whatever profession they choose.

Students are already ahead. It’s time institutions catch up

Young people today are not disconnected from the crisis. They’ve grown up through wildfires in California, flooding in Louisiana, and heat emergencies in places that never used to see them. Many students are actively searching for ways to make their education feel more connected to the real world.

As Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy and professor at Texas Tech, has said: “The biggest problem with climate education is not that people don’t care. It’s that they don’t know what to do.”

That gap in action isn’t a reflection of apathy. It’s a curriculum issue. Universities need to turn knowledge into practical readiness.

Whether a student becomes a city planner, a data analyst, a teacher, or a software engineer, the ability to understand and act on climate risk will be essential in their careers.

Conclusion: Turning crisis into curriculum

The Central Texas floods revealed how quickly conditions can change, and how devastating the cost of being unprepared can be. But they also showed something else. If we fail to train future professionals in how to prevent, mitigate, and respond to these kinds of disasters, we’re accepting a future of repeated loss.

Higher education can be a powerful lever for change. It has the chance to equip students with not just awareness of climate issues, but the tools to do something about them. And that kind of preparation isn’t just good education, it’s responsible leadership.

The next flood, wildfire, or blackout may already be on its way. But if universities evolve now, they can make sure the next generation is better prepared to face it.